Senators Debate 'Stand-Your-Ground' Laws
A show for the cameras about state-level self-defense laws
Trayvon Martin's mother told a panel of senators Tuesday that state stand your ground self-defense laws do not work and must be amended, reviving the politically charged gun control issue a year ahead of the 2014 midterm elections.
But little besides politics emerged from the session, held in the Senate's made-for-television hearing room. Democrats who hold majority power in the Senate and are trying to keep it supported Sybrina Fulton's call.
"This law is an invitation for confrontation," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chaired the session.
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So the mother of a boy who died after the man whom he was beating defended himself is now calling for the federal government to do something about state stand-your-ground laws, which had no bearing on her son's death or his killer's non-guilty verdict.
Sounds reasonable.